Preview: Hennessey HPE700 Chevrolet Corvette

By John Beltz Snyder

July 19, 2013

Chomping at the bit to drive the new Stingray? Yeah, we are too. Hennessey Performance, though, apparently can’t sit still and wait, and has gone ahead and announced its HPE700 Corvette, slated to debut before Chevrolet can come out with its hi-po Corvette ZR1.

The Hennessey HPE700 C7 Corvette manages to wring 700 horsepower out of the LT1 6.2-liter V-8 with an Eaton TVS R2300 supercharger, among other modifications. The engine upgrades also include custom cylinder heads, intake and fueling systems, and some adjustments to the car’s electronic brain. Those 700 ponies are routed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual gearbox (our choice) or a six-speed slushbox (for the drag racers out there).

Hennessey is also offering visual upgrades on the HPE700 Corvette. The CarbonAero bodywork package adds a notched rear spoiler, front splitter, and side sills. A hood new hood is also part of the visual upgrade, but it also has the advantage a power dome and central vent that reduce temperatures in the engine bay while creating downforce.

Customers can also opt for ten-spoke alloys wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber. Hennessey will offer a coilover suspension with Penske double-adjustable shocks, as well as a set of Brembo brakes with carbon-ceramic rotors.

The HPE700 Corvette will come with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty. It is slated to become available this October through Hennessey and local Chevrolet dealerships.

Hennessey also plans to offer less-hardcore HPE600 and HPE500 variants.

SEALY, Texas, July 15, 2013 — Throughout its 60-year history, America’s sports car has been synonymous with performance, and the newest generation is clearly no exception. The C7 Corvette Stingray has a vastly stiffer aluminum structure that’s 99 lb lighter than before, a new LT1 6.2-liter V-8 with 460 bhp and improved fuel economy, plus a wedgy, low-slung shape that’s fresh yet instantly identifiable as a Corvette. But it’s not the Hennessey way to leave well enough alone—even if that “well enough” baseline already represents one of the quickest-accelerating sports cars on the planet.

The Hennessey HPE700 Corvette, expected to debut in October 2013, will pre-empt the factory’s C7 ZR1 and may well out-accelerate it too with Hennessey’s 700-bhp performance package incorporating the Eaton TVS R2300 supercharger. Packing 8 psi of boost through custom CNC-ported factory cylinder heads, working with proprietary intake and fueling systems plus a recalibrated ECU, the system should provide enough sheer thrust to thrill even the most jaded enthusiast. Transmission choices include either a 7-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.

Visually, the HPE700 Corvette can be made to hit as hard as its powertrain, with Hennessey’s optional CarbonAero™ body treatment consisting of an aggressive front splitter, notched rear spoiler, side sills and a hood—the last with a deeply drawn power dome and dramatic central vent that both decreases underhood temperatures and increases downforce by evacuating air. The body pieces are made of hand-laid carbon fiber, and in typical Hennessey fashion they increase downforce while still striking that delicate balance between looking aggressive and not being overdone. “We’re only interested in changes that deliver a measurable increase in performance, period,” says company founder John Hennessey. Optional 10-spoke H10 alloys shod with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires fill out the wheel wells with the appropriate amount of menace.

Special touches and options can further individualize the HPE700 Corvette. Interior details haven’t been finalized at this early date, but each car will come with dash and engine plaques displaying the serialized build number. An optional coilover suspension system utilizing Penske double-adjustable shocks will be offered, as will a Brembo brake upgrade with carbon-ceramic rotors. Less powerful variants—a normally aspirated HPE500 and supercharged HPE600—will be offered too, and all components that comprise the HPE complete cars will be available individually.

All Hennessey cars are dyno–tested at HPE’s headquarters in Sealy, Texas, and performance-validated at the company’s on-site test track, Lonestar Motorsports Park. The HPE700 Corvette is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile powertrain warranty, and can be ordered directly through Hennessey Performance Engineering or through any local Chevrolet dealership.

About Hennessey® Performance Established in 1991, Hennessey® Performance (HPE) now operates from a new facility comprised of a 36,000 square foot building that is located adjacent to Lonestar Motorsports Park, the company’s test track and IHRA sanctioned ¼ mile dragstrip. The 143-acre complex is located about 45 minutes west of Houston, Texas along Interstate 10. Hennessey® offer a wide variety of dyno-proven, track-tested parts for modern performance vehicles. In addition, Hennessey® operates Tuner School, the world’s first fully state-licensed school dedicated to teaching and training future performance vehicle tuners.